Page "Mama Quilla" Paragraph 3

One myth surrounding the moon was to account for the " dark spots "; it was believed that a fox fell in love with Mama Quilla because of her beauty, but when he rose into the sky, she squeezed him against her, producing the patches.

The Incas would fear lunar eclipses as they believed that during the eclipse, an animal ( possibly a mountain lion, serpent or puma ) was attacking Mama Quilla.

Consequently, people would attempt to scare away the animal by throwing weapons, gesturing and making as much noise as possible.

They believed that if the animal achieved its aim, then the world would be left in darkness.

This tradition continued after the Incas had been converted to Catholicism by the Conquistadors, which the Spanish used to their advantage.

The natives showed the Spanish great respect when they found that they were able to predict when the eclipses would take place.

Mama Quilla was also believed to cry tears of silver.